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Understand

Paris sits on the River Seine, in north-central France. Around 2.2 million people live in the city of Paris, but this only represents the urban core within the Boulevard Périphérique. There are some 10 million people in the wider Métropole du Grand Paris (814 km2) and almost 13 million people living in the metropolitan area, making this one of Europe's largest.

Due to high expectations, a tight schedule, and language barriers, not to mention the large crowds and long lines at certain attractions during high season, the city also disappoints some visitors. Foreign visitors who have an idealized view of Paris might be shocked by the typical challenges of visiting any large city. They expect romance, beauty, and luxury, but they find street crime, traffic noise, pollution, garbage, and relatively high costs. In the worst case, visitors might experience the Paris syndrome, which is a state of severe culture shock and anxiety – sometimes, severe enough that it even results in a psychiatric emergency that requires hospitalization.

To enjoy the wonders of Paris, make realistic plans. The number of attractions and landmarks is overwhelming; visiting only the most famous ones (which are overcrowded during major holidays) takes more than a week. The city also has more to offer for people who take time for a calm stroll along the back streets. If your time in the city is short, be selective, and save some attractions for your next visit.

See

Highlights are listed below. Detailed information can be found on each individual district page (click on the name of the sight).

Buy

Paris is one of the great fashion centres of the Western world, up there with New York, London, and Milan, making it a shopper's delight. While the Paris fashion scene is constantly evolving, the major shopping centres tend to be the same. High end couture can be found in the 8th arrondissement. In summer, there is nothing better than browsing the boutiques along Canal St-Martin, or strolling along the impressive arcades of the historic Palais-Royal, with beautifully wrapped purchases swinging on each arm.

Le Marais is a mostly Jewish neighbourhood, most of the shops in Le Marais are open on Sundays. The stores in this area are intimate, boutique, "Parisian" style clothing stores. You will no doubt find something along each street, and it is always well worth a look.

Other great areas to shop around in are around the area Sèvres Babylone (Métro Line 10 and Line 12). It is in this area you will find the Le Bon Marché 7th, particularly rue de Cherche Midi 6th. The area boasts some of the major fashion houses (Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace, etc.) and also has smaller private boutiques with handmade clothing.

In the Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés, you can find a handful of vintage clothing shops, carrying anything from couture early 20th century dresses, to 70s Chanel sunglasses. Walking along Boulevard Saint-Germain, you will find major brands. However, if in search of eclectic finds, opt to walk the northern side of the Boulevard, especially along rue Saint André des …

Eat

Paris is one of Europe's culinary centres, where the haute cuisine has flourished since at least the French revolution. It may however come as a surprise that Paris isn't considered the culinary capital of French cuisine; many people prefer the French cooking found in small rural restaurants, outside of the city, closer to the farms and with their focus on freshness and regional specialities. Even among French cities, Paris has long been considered by the French as second to Lyon for fine dining.

There have been other challenges in the last 20 years or so as restaurateurs in places like San Francisco and Sydney briefly surpassed their Parisian fore bearers, again with an emphasis on freshness of ingredients but also borrowings from other cuisines. Parisian cooks didn't just rest on their laurels during this time, rather they travelled, taught, and studied, and together with Paris's own immigrant communities, have revitalized the restaurant trade. Today you can find hundreds of beautiful restaurants with thoughtful (or just trendy) interior design and well-planned and executed cartes and menus offering a creative mélange of French and exotic foreign cuisines. It's safe to say that Paris is once again catching up with or edging ahead of its Anglophone rivals.

Of course there are also some traditional offerings, and for the budget conscious there are hundreds of traditional bistros, with their sidewalk terraces offering a choice of fairly simple (usually meat centred) meals fo…

Drink

thumb|A bar on Rue Mouffetard The bars scene in Paris really does have something for everyone. From bars which serve drinks in baby bottles, to ultra luxe clubs that require some name dropping, or card (black Amex) showing, and clubs where you can dance like no one's watching, (although they will be). To start your night out right, grab a drink or two in a ubiquitous dive bar, before burning up the dance floor and spreading some cash, at one of the trendy clubs.

Canal St Martin. Many cozy cafés and other drinking establishments abound around the Canal St Martin in the 10th. The Marais. The Marais has a large number of trendier new bars mostly in the 4th and to a lesser extent the 3rd with a few old charmers tossed into the mix. A number of bars and restaurants in the Marais have a decidedly gay crowd, but are usually perfectly friendly to straights as well. Some seem to be more specifically aimed at up-and-coming hetero singles. Bastille. There is a very active nightlife zone just to the northeast of Place de Bastille centered around rue de Lappe, rue de la Roquette, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine (especially the amazing Club Barrio Latino) and rue de Charonne in the 11th. Many of the bars closest to Bastille have either a North, Central, or South American theme, with a couple of Aussie places mixed in for good measure, and as you continue up rue de Charonne the cafés have more of a traditionally French but grungy feeling. Quartier Latin - Odeon. If you're looking for the nou…

Respect

Parisians have a reputation for being egocentric, rude and arrogant. While this is often only an inaccurate stereotype, the best way to get along in Paris still is to be on your best behavior, acting like someone who is "bien élevé" (well brought up). It will make getting about considerably easier.

Parisians' abrupt exteriors will rapidly evaporate if you display some basic courtesies. A simple "Bonjour, Madame" when entering a shop, for example, or "Excusez-moi" when trying to get someone's attention, are very important; say "Pardon" or better "je suis désolé" if you bump into someone accidentally or make other mistakes. If you speak French or are using a phrasebook remember to always use the vous form when addressing someone you don't know; this may transform the surliest shop assistant into a smiling helper or the grumpiest inhabitant to a helpful citizen. Courtesy is extremely important in France (where the worst insult is to call someone "mal élevé", or "badly brought up").

If you only learn one long phrase in French a good one would be "Excusez-moi de vous déranger, monsieur/madame, auriez-vous la gentillesse de m'aider?" (pardon me for bothering you, sir/madam, would you have the kindness to help me?) - this level of extreme politeness is about the closest one can come to a magic wand for unlocking Parisian hospitality. If you know some French, try it! But remember, too, that Parisians have places to go and things to do, so if they have no time and don't answer you, …

Connect

As of Sept 2021, Paris has 5G from all French carriers. WiFi is widely available in public places, public transport, cafes and so on.

One helpful thing about having official and numbered districts in Paris is that you can easily tell which arrondissement an address is in by its postal code, and can easily come up with the postal code for a Paris address if you know its arrondissement. The rule is just pre-pend 750 or 7500 to the front of the arrondissement number, with 75001 being the postal code for the 1st and 75011 being the postal code for the 11th, and so on. The 16th has two postal codes, 75016 for the portion south of Rue de Passy and 75116 to the north; all other arrondissements only have one postal code.

Phone cards are available from most "tabacs" but make sure you know where you can use them when you buy them, as some places still sell the cartes cabines which are hard to use as cabines are rare.

Go next

Chantilly - Wonderful 17th-century palace and gardens (and the birthplace of whipped cream). 25 min train ride from Gare du Nord Chartres - The 12th-century cathedral of Notre Dame at Chartres is one of the highlights of Gothic architecture. 60-min train ride from Gare Montparnasse Disneyland Paris - In the suburb of Marne-la-Vallée, to the east of Paris, from where it can be reached by car, train, RER, or bus (the train/RER is probably your best bet). Fontainebleau - A lovely historic town south of Paris (55.5 km or 35 mi). A favourite weekend getaway for Parisians, it is renowned for its large and scenic forest, and for its château. 35 min train ride from Gare de Lyon Rambouillet - A royal palace surrounded by forest and historic town. Giverny - The inspirational house and gardens of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet are but a day-trip away. The gardens and its flowers are the most interesting part of the visit, so avoid rainy days. Lille - By bus 3½ hr (€5) The Loire Valley - a beautiful wine-making stretch of the river Loire that is chock full of renaissance châteaux, including Chambord, as well as medieval cities such as Blois, Orléans and Tours. Trains take 1–2½ hours from Gare Montparnasse and Gare d'Austerlitz. The Orient Express, which historically ran Paris-Istanbul, has been partially recreated as a seasonal luxury tourist train, but tickets are not cheap. Saint-Denis - On the northern edge of the metropolis, site of the Stade de France and St …